Hesitant Mutualism
by Arishandera
Summary: Don’t you crave for that sense of completeness...? Malik did. But coexistence between himself and his dark side was unfathomable. However, his other half thought otherwise. Victory was always sweeter when you have someone to share it with. YMM


**I'm an avid bronzeshipping fan, but for some reason, I've never written a bronzeshipping fic since…well, ever! So here's something that would remedy that situation.**

**This was made for the 30kisses LJ community. Writing this was not easy, so it's not perfect. But I'm still quite happy that I managed to finish it :D**

**The YGO fandom needs more Yami Malik/Malik fics damnit!**

**And hopefully, this will get my writing groove back on. (Looks guiltily at 'Just Pretend')**

**Setting****: Battle Ship blimp**

**Timeline****: After YnB vs. YnM duel, but before Malik begs Isis to save Rishid in Anzu's body**

**Pairings****: Yami Malik/Malik and maybe the barest hint of Yami Bakura/Malik**

**Tenshi no Toki, this is for you! Hugs and kisses my fellow Malik fangirl!**

**xxx**

Hesitant Mutualism

xxx

He could only watch as the blazing fireball plummeted towards them. His wide lavender eyes were nearly blinded by the sheer intensity of the flames, and even as a bodiless spirit, Malik could feel the quickly increasing heat scorch his skin.

There was no time to run. Yami no Bakura was still standing by his side, eyes uncharacteristically wide as if his mind had yet to accept their inevitable defeat. For a quick moment, Malik worried about his temporary partner. It was common knowledge that the Winged Dragon of Ra (as well as the other god cards) possesses the power to kill another player should the duel be considerably intense. And he'd rouse Yami no Bakura with the spirit's host body still not fully recovered from enduring Osiris' attack.

Will he be able to withstand _another _god's attack? Malik almost felt compelled to shout at the other boy to run.

The ball of fire finally reached its target, exploding in a horrifying frenzy.

It _burned_. Malik felt as if his skin was close to melting. The flames seemed to be a thousand times more dreadful than ordinary fire, and it was frightening how he could feel so much pain when he didn't even have a body.

And then he saw how his body was disintegrating at an alarming rate. The fire was burning through him so quickly, one would've thought he was made of paper. And the _agony_—Malik thought that he would've passed out if he can. In fact, he wished that he did.

His eyes became panicked, and he couldn't help but let out a painful scream.

Yami no Bakura's head snapped towards him, he was enduring the attack far better than the blonde it seemed. His body appeared quite intact.

"Malik!" he yelled above the raging flames that surrounded them. The other's body was quickly being consumed by the flames and there was no mistaking the suffering the boy was enduring.

Desperate light-violet eyes met his in the span of a second, and then Malik was gone. His scream still rang painfully in Yami no Bakura's head.

When the fire died down, he was still standing. Yami no Malik, still one with Ra, looked down at him smugly. Slowly, his body began to fade away as well. All the while, he and Yami no Malik held their heated gaze. His was defiant, defeated yet unyielding. Yami no Malik's was positively ecstatic with the sweet taste of victory.

"Do not worry about my fickle light, he'd just be temporarily thrown into a limbo…" Yami no Malik gave him a vicious smile. "You, on the other hand, I plan to _permanently _get rid of."

The Sennen Ring clattered on the floor.

xxx

The pain was gone in an instant. By the time Malik had managed to bring himself back together (in a manner of speaking), it was like a dulled out memory. He supposed, that having no body had that effect. He escaped literally unscathed. It surprised him that so much pain wouldn't even leave one mark.

But keeping himself from disappearing back into the shadows where his dark side banished him was now even more difficult. It felt like he was being pulled constantly in two opposite directions at once.

Malik knew that escaping the hourglass Yami no Malik had imprisoned him in would have its eventual side effects. True it may be that he could wander freely and seek refuge in the bodies of those he had previously controlled with the Sennen Rod, but it was dangerous to have his soul…so _scattered_.

The pull from the shadows was becoming increasingly powerful. 'If I can't find a way to overthrow my dark side…I'd…I'd lose everything.'

"Oh, you make it seem as if I'm the bane of your existence…" a horrifyingly familiar voice said. Malik flinched involuntarily and whirled around. It unnerved him how his other half could so easily sneak up on people, and how his mind was open for Yami no Malik to read. And to think that _he _was supposed to be the silent creeping ghost.

Malik stumbled away, he groaned slightly in fatigue. He hadn't fully recovered from having his spirit thrown into oblivion, after all. At the moment, parts of his incorporeal body had yet to materialize completely; half his face and various parts of his limbs and torso. It left him in a weak vulnerable state.

Yami no Malik seemed amused by his startled reaction. His cold eyes took in the pathetic pitiful image his light made as the other boy slumped almost tiredly against the wall with sadistic glee.

"Hmm…you sure do a poor job in hiding from me."

The near-transparent boy managed to snarl, it was not _his _fault that he materialized in his (and therefore now Yami no Malik's) sleeping quarters and could not summon enough energy to move an inch, "Who said I was hiding?"

The other's dark eyes twinkled maliciously. "Surely you're not the fool as to challenge me this readily. You could barely stand up as it is," he stepped closer, kneeling a few feet away from the fallen boy. "Or maybe…" Yami no Malik's eyes suddenly took on an angry glint, "you're all too eager to join the tomb robber in his banishment to the dark abyss."

His tone was cold and mocking as always, but Malik could sense something radiating from his other self that he found unfamiliar.

When Malik remained silent, Yami no Malik's eyes seemed to darken dangerously.

"I see…you're rather _fond _of Bakura, are you not, Lightside?"

Malik was more surprised than angered by the sudden accusatory tone other had. "What are you talking about?"

Yami no Malik bared his teeth, and in second he had the dagger of the Sennen Rod pointed at Malik's face. "Do not think that I'm oblivious to your _companionship _with that snake! I've seen how you looked at him as I attacked you two with Ra, and I _heard _how Bakura shouted your name as you disappeared, and now..." he smirked bitterly, "I could read your thoughts like ink on paper, I can feel your worry for the ancient thief—It's disgusting."

Shock was written all over Malik's features, and he attempted to shrink away from the threatening blade. Though it's true that he sought companionship in Yami no Bakura, he was fairly sure that it was more of the need of an ally that drew him to the white-haired spirit. And with Rishid gone, his choice of potential companions had slimmed down to one.

"Tell me, Lightside, what exactly did you have to offer in order for him to aid you? Bakura doesn't look like the person to give without receiving anything in return," he said, eyes burning into his. Yami no Malik, with rod still raised, crawled closer. Malik was beginning to think that escape is his best option should he want to remain spiritually alive . Being a ghost had its advantages, and one of them was the well-known feat of passing through solid objects. He decided to make good use of this ability now and sink into the wall, and then he'd find himself a nice secluded corner in the blimp to recover in.

But Yami no Malik had obviously foreseen this. The Sennen Rod was pressed against the side of his head, and from the corner of his eye, Malik could see the faint pulses of magic the Rod was emitting. When he tried to will himself to pass through matter, he felt an overwhelming force counter his body, as if the wall was pushing him back.

He grunted in frustration and made to glare at Yami no Malik. But instead his eyes widened, his dark side had achieved such a close proximity that Malik was sure that if he possessed a physical body, he could've felt the other's heat mingle with his own.

"You still haven't answered me…" he reminded Malik. "The Sennen Rod _was _probably a tempting offer, but he could've as easily left you to rot and come after me alone than to let you tag along with him. So? What is it, hmm? Did you offer him a life of servitude? Your family's ancient treasures? A place by your side should you win this tournament? Or what about a night of _ecstasy _and _pleasure _in his bed?" Yami no Malik trailed his free hand down Malik's arm.

Malik shuddered at the ghostly touch, part of his mind wondered how he was able to feel the other's hot skin without a body. "Y-you're sick!" Malik screeched. He made to slip away from the constricting arms on either side of his head and simply flee as fast as he was able to with a few missing body parts.

He managed to push Yami no Malik away enough to give him some space to maneuver, also breaking the Sennen Rod's spell in doing so. Fortunately, his lower limbs were mostly complete, though there were some faded spots here and there, so running was an acceptable course of action. What he really lacked was the use of one arm, so it took a bit of stumbling for him to find his balance and stand up. He didn't even glance at Yami no Malik's form on the floor, and so did not notice the evil smile that dominated the other's lips.

He ran across the room, intent on making himself scarce before his surely-angered dark side could regain himself. Suddenly, he crashed forward.

With an "Ooof!" he ended up in a haggard heap. He wasted no time and tried to get up, only to find out that the reason for his dramatic trip was the disappearance of his right foot.

Yami no Malik's chuckle rang in the otherwise silent room. Moments later he could hear footsteps approaching closer and closer towards him. He growled and lifted himself up with an elbow. Of _course_ it would've been too easy if he succeeded in escaping now. Malik had grown to believe that the gods were punishing him from his past misdeeds, it would've explained the horrible luck he was experiencing in this tournament.

"Well…_that _was fairly entertaining," Yami no Malik laughed coldly.

Malik felt himself being lifted up and settled gently on the floor. Yami no Malik had his arms crossed, the Sennen Rod was clenched as usual in his hand, glowing faintly.

Silence reigned for a torturously long moment. All the time, Yami no Malik did not remove his gaze from his other self's.

Finally, Malik could not take it anymore. He glared, "Well? Are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna get right to destroying me?"

Yami no Malik blinked, and then he gave Malik a fanged smile. "You're going to surrender…just like that?" he laughed, "And Isis actually thought you'd be able to overpower me…Did you know, Lightside, that she planned this tournament?—Not directly, but it was her that drove Kaiba to launch it."

Malik's brow furrowed, not understanding.

"It was all for her little brother," he continued, "All for dear _innocent _little_ Malik_, who's endured so _much_, and whom she's been trying to save from himself for the past couple of years…wouldn't it be just wonderful if I tell her how her brother basically splayed his arms out and asked me to stab him in the heart?"

Immediately, Malik felt guilty, and his previously-blazing eyes toned down as he seriously contemplated Yami no Malik's words. Could it be true? Would his sister enter a tournament with the sole purpose of saving him from his terrible fate? Whenever their paths crossed since his departure from their underground home, Malik had believed that his sister would despise him. And he accepted that fact readily. But he'd always thought that the only reason Isis pursued him was to stop his plans of revenge on the pharaoh, and not to bring back her long-lost brother.

He felt a finger caress his cheek, and though Malik couldn't feel it properly, he moved away. "Now, now, don't look so distraught," Yami no Malik said in a false comforting voice. "I'll make sure you'd be able to say your goodbyes when the time comes…"

Malik growled, his anger returning. "What are you saying?" His other self was confusing him. Only seconds ago, Yami no Malik sounded perfectly happy in killing him right then and there. What brought on this change?

"All of this need not end tragically…With Rishid in a coma, and Bakura wandering in circles in another realm…opportunities have risen, for us to coexist," his tone was serious. But Malik was not easily convinced.

"We weren't able to_ coexist _since I created you, what makes you think we could now? _You're _the reason why Rishid and Bakura are lost to me…everything…everything's because of you!" Malik said testily. "Are you expecting my thanks for that? Maybe you even want one for killing Father!"

Yami no Malik was unperturbed by his shouting. The dark exhibited uncharacteristic patience as he said, "No, no…of course not. But now…what do you want most, Lightside?" he leaned forward, and brought up a hand and settled it on Malik's shoulder. Said boy stared as he did so. "You want your body back."

Malik's head snapped up, his remaining eye (part of his face still unrecovered from the shadows) widening in surprise.

His other self appeared pleased at the reaction he got. "Yes, I'm willing…to _share_. I now have what I wanted all along; Bakura's annihilation, Rishid's absence, and freedom from the chains that bound me in your mind. What I want next is Yugi's death, but I've come to realize that victory would be…much sweeter with my own companion, my own _partner_, by my side."

The hand on Malik's shoulder moved to the part where his head and neck met, Yami no Malik's fingers traced the back of his ear softly. "Now…" he started to say, "I'm going to give you time to think about my offer…"

Malik watched in amazement at his body's slowly restoring form. Already he felt the missing half of his face fading back into existence. A quick glance at his arms proved that his body was being brought back to its originally strengthened state from before his and Yami no Bakura's defeat. He still didn't understand why Yami no Malik was doing this however.

"Think about it, Lightside," Yami no Malik said, almost imploringly, "Wouldn't it be wonderful to bridge the distance that's grown between your two selves all these years? Don't you crave for that sense of _completeness_?"

Completeness? Malik doubted he could feel complete when part of him will always _be_ Yami no Malik. And since he found out that Yugi was not the cause of his father's death, Malik had begun to feel guilty about causing the boy such grief. One of the very first things he'd promised himself he'd do after regaining his body was to make up for all the wrongdoings he'd committed in his quest for vengeance. Yugi and his friends are on top of that rather long list.

Lost in his thoughts, Malik hardly noticed Yami no Malik's hands placing itself upon both sides of his cheek. He blinked at the sudden tingling sensation and looked up to see his other self's face so close to his own.

And then Malik felt the other's lips brush ever-so-slight on his. It was a simple gesture and the sensation was significantly toned down because of his disembodied state. Whereas Yami no Malik's eyes were half-lidded, seeming to really enjoy their interaction, Malik's was wide and flabbergasted. The kiss lasted no more than five seconds. But it made his mind go haywire in confusion, shock, and utter disbelief.

Malik just realized that the other's arms were around him. Yami no Malik did not move away immediately. He rested his lips just at the side of Malik's cheek, and spoke in a breathy voice, "Think about it," he repeated the request again.

His eyes closed in submission.

xxx

**I just love bronzeshipping. The pairing just reeks of that addicting dark romance type of stuff.**


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